Empty: A Hunger Games FanFic
by waybackdisney
Summary: "I can't do anything. I'm frozen in place, holding what could be the end of everything in my hand, over my trusted friend. I close my eyes and thrust the knife down. I feel the blood covering my hand, as I weep until I run out of tears. My tears are all I have left."
1. Author's Note

**Hello! It's waybackdisney with a...Hunger Games FanFic?! Yes! I fell in love with the HG universe and I will be working on this whenever I can! I know I stopped Hamilton because I love HG even more! Here's a brief (or not so brief) summary about this (hopefully) amazing FanFic, told from a switching POV, from Katniss Everdeen to my OC, Jacob Odine.**

**Summary: Katniss Everdeen has a weakness. A weakness that isn't an idea, not even a thing, but a person. A person who can ruin her in a second, but she's trusted him her whole life.**

**A year after Jacob transfers to District 11 from 12, he is reaped along with his newest friend. He's not prepared for the 74th Hunger Games, but who is? When he finds out Katniss Everdeen, someone who means something to him is reaped, Jacob will change up his playing style to try to save more people than he can. Find out what happens in Empty: A Hunger Games Fanfic.**

**Please leave a review about suggestions, comments and/or questions! Thank you for reading...**

**EMPTY**

_**A Hunger Games FanFic**_


	2. Chapter 1

**Part 1: Truth Be Told**

_Chapter 1: Honesty_

I wash my face with the cold water pouring out the faucet. The reaping is tomorrow and I can't stop thinking about it. One male and one female. If I get reaped, I hope somebody I know—No, somebody I _trust _is with me. I would definitely like if Katniss was the District 12 female, that'd be unlikely. Katniss could hunt and she would protect me from all that she could. Before we moved, more like transferred, to District 11, Katniss' and our family were very close. My mother was her mother's best friend since elementary and we basically were all a big family.

Our families were very similar too. My dad died in the mines with Katniss' dad. Our families were made up of a mother and two siblings. The siblings were the same gender. That being said, if Michael was reaped, I would volunteer since he's twelve. If he was older than me, I would volunteer. I don't know why, I just can't let Mom lose him.

"Jacob, take your brother for a walk! I'm too busy cooking dinner!" Mom yells from the kitchen and I walk out the bathroom. Michael's on the ground, watching TV, so I turn off the TV. Michael looks at me, annoyed, then realizes why I did that. He jumps up, opens the door and we walk outside. The ground is wet from last night's rain, which would make everyone happy. I'm certainly happy. More rain, more crops. More crops, less hunger.

As we walk down the sidewalk, I think about many things. Mom's probably cooking a huge dinner and inviting Grandmother over. Maybe my uncle and his family. She does this every year, the day before the reaping. Mom makes a huge meal, invites many people, and tries to have just one good memory before any of us have to go.

"Good morning Jacob. Are you looking to buy some crops?" Someone asks me. I open my eyes, not even realizing they were closed, and I'm looking at Mr. Stone. He's an old friendly man who welcomed us when we moved here. I look down at Michael who's smiling and I realize he must have pulled me here.

"Mom said get food for the dinner," He says, then turns toward Mr. Stone, "And you're invited." Mr. Stone grins and before I can try to remember what she wanted, he puts many things in a bag. I take the bag, then I give it back. "I have no money." I remember, but he gives it back. "It's on me." Mr. Stone says, winking.

I turn away and we walk back home. I look at Michael and he doesn't seem as happy as he was a minute ago. "So…what's up?" I ask him, but he stays silent. Minutes pass and we're walking quietly. "Can you promise me something?" He says suddenly and I nod. "Okay…"

Michael looks up at me sincerely. "Promise that if I'm reaped, you won't volunteer." I stop walking. "No, I'm not promising you that." Michael groans.

"Jacob, I'm serious. If I get reaped, I can't let you volunteer and die. We both know you wouldn't last a second. You just want to protect me. But no, now it's my turn to protect you. I'll go. I-I'll make an alliance and I'll kill them all!" Michael shouts at me. I look around and I see a Peacekeeper heading our way. I walk away, pulling Michael.

"PK following us. Keep walking. If he asks us questions, we're acting out a play for the Capitol." I whisper and we finally get home. I open the door and slam it shut, making sure it's locked. Michael sits on the couch and I drop off the food before joining him.

I think about Katniss, but it's too painful to think about her. I don't love her or anything, we're too close. We _were_ too close. When we left, she never said goodbye. Her mother and Primrose did, but Katniss stayed away. I was heartbroken, because I thought we were really _really_ friends. But I guess not.

The doorbell rings and Mom tells me to get the door. I stay on the couch, because it might be that Peacekeeper. I give up and open the door. Aunt Suzie walks in, hugging me tightly. "Oh Buttercup, you've grown!" I put on a fake smile and Aunt Suzie sits on the couch with Michael. I close the door, knowing no one else is coming until later. Aunt Suzie always arrives early, because "Early is burly, late and you're eight!" Yeah, one of her ridiculous sayings. The doorbell rings again and I get up to open the door. Grandma walks in with her friend, Elyptic. Uncle Barry and his new wife, Marie, follow them.

We all sit on our huge couch that can fit about 24 people. Mom stirs the soup, adding spices and vegtables. "Why is everyone arriving early?" A wave of silence passes over everyone for a moment, then Uncle Barry clears his throat. "Ann, they…they're reaping today." Mom turns around, taking a deep breath. "What do you mean? The reaping is tomorrow."

Uncle Barry sighs. "They changed it to today. Capitol wanted to surprise everyone so nobody could run off. It's in ten minutes." _Silence._ Then Mom screams in rage, pointing at the soup. "This is all I could make! All I could make! Capitol ruined this dinner, like they ruin our _lives_! Don't you see? Oh, I should've stayed in District 12." Mom storms out the door.

Suddenly, a screech passes through the town. It's the alarm. The reaping alarm. We all look at one another, then I take Michael's hand. Everyone walks out the door and goes to the Center. I see everyone pouring out their houses, going to the reaping. The Center is just the middle of our town, where important events were held. People got in an organized crowd, careful to stay by their families. The stage is like an arena, but people are gathered on one side.

On the stage are many Peacekeeps and Effie Trinket, who does the reapings for 11 and 12. She takes the microphone, then taps it twice. "Good afternoon District 11! Aren't we all excited? No? Oh well, let's continue!" Peacekeepers bring out a big glass ball with a handle you can turn, which seems new but does the same thing. It decides who's going to die.

Effie turns the handle and talks about things while she does it. "We're almost to the 100th one. Exciting, right? Oh, this is boys right now. So, be prepared." She stops turning the handle. The silence is killing me. Everyone is waiting for the dreaded moment. Effie smiles and reads the name. "Daniel Scoote." No one raises their hand. No one does anything. The silence still surrounds us. Someone finally clears their throat. "He's dead." They say. Effie talks to two of the Peacekeepers for a while, then returns to the microphone.

"Yes, this has been a mistake. Sorry, let's redraw!" Effie turns the handle three times, then picks a name. She holds it up, as if we could really see the person on the tiny slip of paper. "Jacob Wilo." _It's me. I'm the victim of the 74th_ _Hunger Games._

I raise my hand. "Right here!" I shout loudly and Effie smiles. Peacekeepers rush towards me and Michael looks at me. My whole family can do nothing, but stare. Michael shakes his head, ready to volunteer. But it's too late. The Peacekeeper s are dragging me to the stage, holding me, making sure I don't leave. Effie clears her throat, picking a girl's name. "Marley Stewart!" _Marley? Are you serious?_ Marley walked up to the stage, ignoring the Peacekeepers. Effie turns to us, smiling. "And may the odds _ever_ be in your favor."


	3. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2: Trust_

Marley was my immediate friend from the moment I joined District 11. Her grandfather was Mr. Stone, so she went with him to welcome us. A peacekeeper tried prevented her grandfather from leaving work early, but Marley literally said no. She walked past the big guy and dragged Mr. Stone to our house. Mr. Stone and Mom traded recipes and talked about other things, while Marley told me things.

"I wanna get reaped." She said, looking straight at me with no fear. Well, I mean, why would she be scared? "Why?" I asked, because I was confused why anyone would want to die. Marley smirked. "I want to protect all the other girls who could be reaped. And I want to win the Games. The question is, will you be with me?"

One year later, that question has been answered but I'm having thoughts about it. I'm sitting in a chair, waiting for Caesar (His last name) to interview me. We've been waiting too long, because of many things. One, President Snow had a long message to anyone who tried to do anything stupid. Two, the District 2 male got really mad when Caesar asked him something and tried to punch the interviewer. Peacekeepers restrained him to his seat until the interview was over. Three, it seemed longer to me because _she_ is here. Katnis was reaped.

She looked at me a few time and I know that because I kept glancing over at her. She was with some other boy, I think his name was Petey or something. She looks at me and we lock eyes. I couldn't look away, I just had to stare at my oldest friend who'd I trust with my life. She looks away, whispering something to Petey.

I look back at Caesar who called my name. I walk up to the interviewee chair and sit down. Caesar smiles, shaking my hand. "Hello Jacob! How are you doing?" Really? How was I doing? How was I doing after I was going to be trapped in arena, forced to kill people or get killed? "I'm doing great! The Capitol rooms are really relaxing." Caesar smiles, nodding.

"So, tell me, how'd you score an _11_ during the training?" Caesar asks and I can feel Katnis' eyes on the back of my head, probably thinking, "Yeah, tell me how you scored so good."

"I don't know, you'll have to ask the Gamemasters. I just did what I'm good at." I reply with the shortest but best answer I could think of. Caesar smiles, probably thinking of a vicious comeback. "And _what_ are you good at?" I freeze, then I started smiling back. "Why would I reveal my secret in front of all these tributes?" As soon as I say tribute, the bell rings. I go back to my seat, leaving Caesar laughing. After everyone else's interview, Marley and I can meet our mentor. We sit in our rooms, on our beds, waiting for him or her to arrive. The door opens and a boy about 22 or 23 walks in.

"Hello! I'm your mentor, Joseph. Call me Joe if you want or call me Mr. Huff. I don't care, all I care about right now is helping you survive." He says and Marley coughs.

"Joe, you're two days late. We have to go into the arena tomorrow morning." Marley mumbles, annoyed. Joe smiles, running his hand through his hair. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that. Had to get twelve release forms signed to even be in the Capitol. Then I had to walk here guarded by Peacekeepers. Right now, there guns are pointed at the door." _At his head, _I think.

I was intriguied. "So, I mean..Why?" Joe blinks for a while, then shrugs. "After I won the 63th Hunger Games, I was fourteen like you both are, I became a little…mentally insane. My partner killed my best friend from 5 in the arena when it came down to final three. I avenged him by killing her and I became the victor. In my victor interview, I got mad and Capitol locked me in a mental facility for life. It was tough but at least they let me out."

Marley looks uncomftable. "So…are you better?" Joe looks at her with an aggravated expression. "Of course I'm better! Why would I be helping you if I wasn't? If you think like that in the arena, you'll be dead!" He yells at her, leaving her speechless. Joe smiles, looking back and forth at both of us. "So…what can you do?"

I ignore Joe's episode and stand up. "I can use knives, I guess. I threw five knives at a moving dummy and that got me an 11." Joe looks at Marley, gesturing for her to go. Marley clears her throat, putting on her confident face. "I can use a spear. If I'm 500 yards away, but the target is in sight, I can easily kill them." _Target?_ Is that what the tributes thought of the others?

Joe nodded. "Jacob's melee, Marley's range. If one dies, the other dies. You guys need an aliiance. No Careers, they're murderous and disgusting. District 5 or 8 if you want to be cautious. District 12 for the best, because they're miners…"

"And miners get the job done." We all say the famous saying in sync. It's about killing as the job though, not mining. Jacob chuckles as a loud horn sounds. He sighs. "That's my cue to leave. I'll be watching. _Please_ don't die. Remember, I want final two. If you need a gift, I'll be in touch. Shout it, don't doubt it." Jacob walks outside and I hear a crash. Marley jumps up and rushes toward the door, but it closes and locks. She bangs on the door and yells, but I can still hear the gunshot. And Jacob's scream.


	4. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3: Liar_

It's cold. It's freezing cold in the starting pod, but I'm fine. I'll be fine. The pod walls drops and everything's a blur. I start running toward the Corncucopia and I can see more than half of the other 23 humans fighting for survival run toward it too. I'm there first surprisingly, so I grab two brown backpacks. I run towards Marley, who's running away, and I check behind me. I see Katniss going off, but she looks right at me. She winks, then runs away.

I feel and hear the whiz of a spear flying by my head and I turn around. A girl from District 6 threw it at me. She's reloading, so I open the backpack. I hear a thud and I look up at the girl. She's on the ground, dead, with an arrow in her chest. I turn around and Katniss is standing there. "Too slow." She says, running away. I try following her, but I run into Marley. Actually, she grabbed me and pulled me into the bushes.

"Hey-" I start, but she covers my mouth, pointing at a boy. It's Peeta, the District 12 male, digging in the bushes for berries probably. I make sure not to make noise as Marley digs through the backpack. She gets a knife, then jumps out the bush. She goes to kill Peeta, it's very easy since he's turned around, but I push her onto the ground. "Run!" I shout at Peeta, who runs away before I say it. Marley looks at me, then throws the knife at me. I catch it my hand, probably scraping it, then I lower it.

"Why'd you do that?" Marley demands to know and I hold the knife to her throat. "Because 12 can be our ally. Were you not paying attention?" The bushes shake and I throw the knife at one. A rabbit tries hopping out, but dies from the attack. I pick up the rabbit and take out the knife. I give Marley the rabbit and I get the backpack. I put the bloody knife in the backpack and I take back the rabbit. "Dinner."

Marley stands up, dusting off her hands. She looks around, then points at a cave. "It shouldn't be that big, so no animals." She walks into it and I follow her. And once again, she's the leader. Marley starts a fire as a package tied to a silver parachute lands outside the cave. I grab it, bring it back into the gave and open it. It's 12 bottles of water, an empty but huge water bottle, 48 energy bars and wasp repellant. A note says, "The wasp repellant is the closest thing I could find that could maybe hurt a tracker jacker at the most – Joe."

Ha ha. Very funny. Marley finishes roasting the rabbit and night approaches. We both eat parts of the rabbit, saving nothing except the food in the package. We each drink half a water bottle, leaving 11 water bottles left. Marley decides to take watch all night and I trust her. Three cannons go off, District 6 girl, District 10 boy and District 1 girl. I close my eyes and I'm in a new world.

It looks like my world, but I know it's different. I can feel…peace. I know there's no Hunger Games. I know President Snow is the kindest person in the world. I know…I know that I can live. As quick as the dream started, it ended quicker. I open my eyes and a girl is staring at me. A girl from District 8. I move away, grabbing the knife next to me. I hold it at her and she puts her hands up. Marley looks at me, sighing. "Jacob, this is Angelica. She's from 8, we have an alliance. Her partner's dead, killed by some 12 girl."

Katniss killed this girl's partner. She has 2 kills already. "It was an accident." A boy says and I realize he's behind me. He smiles, giving me a short wave. "Hi. Ayden, District 3." He turns to Angelica, shaking his head, "Your stupid partner tried sneaking up on that girl and she just did what she had to!" Angelica rolls her eyes and continues to sharpen her knife. It wasn't an arena knife though. The knife has a symbol on it. It looks ancient, like Mayan or Aztec.

I don't bring it up though. I realize it must be around nine or ten, because the sun is still not at its brightest. I hear an ear-piercing scream before I can think about anything else and we all stand up. Marley grabs her spear, shifting into a warlike stance. She looks at us, mouthing, "_Arena event._"

I could hear a wild and loose howl come from the middle of the forest. Who is that? No…_what_ is that? We all back to the end of the cave which is about three yards from the entrance. I can see a boy emerge from the bushes and I can hear something chasing him. He tries entering the cave, but he gets shocked and blown back. "Someone gave me a 24-hour force field." Ayden says, and I question it no further.

"Help me!" The boy shouts, not scared but angry. All of us can hear the branch snap in the bushes. All of us suddenly regonize this boy. District 2, Cato. A Career. If word gets out in the arena that we let a Career die, we'd be hunted—by the Careers and the other tributes since we were a threat. I look at Ayden. "Turn it off!" He seems to be thinking the same thing as me because he immediately turns the force field off. The boy falls through, into our cave. Ayden turns the force field on as a beast jumps on it. A blast sends it on the ground, but the beast gets up.

"What is that?" I say, disgusted at the least. Cato sighs, brushing himself off. "That—That's a half human, half monkey beast. It's been commanded to kill any sign of life for the last month, so that's why it wants to murder every one of us." He turns around, smiling at everyone. "Oh right. Hi, I'm Cato."


	5. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4: Golden Rule_

"It's him!" I yell at my dense partner. "Peeta, it's him!" Peeta shakes his head, most likely ignoring me. He was cooking a fish so we had something to eat besides dead monkey mutt. I growl in frustration which scares Peeta and he drops the pan. He recovers the food, but not before saying, "I know its him, but seriously Katniss—Calm down."

I roll my eyes, looking up at the sky. I know I'm probably being recorded, but it doesn't matter. I sit down, waiting for Peeta to finish the fish. He looks over at me. "You remember what Haymitch said, right?" I nod, but I don't have time to think about Haymitch. He hasn't sent us anything since the pan and we've had to survive on arena food.

"Jacob was my first friend. He's probably dead." I say quietly and Peeta sighs. He puts the pan on the ground, scooting over to sit by me. I try looking down to avoid his "I'm so sorry" expression, but grabs my hand and I look up. He's sorry, but he doesn't show it. We stare at each other for a while, until he kisses me lightly. It ends quickly and I tell myself it was for the cameras. But now, I don't think any cameras were filming us.

Peeta scoots back over to where the fish is and touches it to see if it's cool. He uses a hunting knife to cut it open and divides it into two after he confirms it's not that hot anymore. The sun is setting as we eat in silence as if nothing happened. I grab my bow and arrow, I aim at a rabbit sniffing plants and I shoot it. I walk outside to collect my prize when someone calls my name. I look over to the boy and I freeze. It's Jacob. I raise my bow and I'm ready to shoot an arrow when Peeta runs outside with his knife. I turn towards him and he stops. "Katniss?'

I turn back to Jacob and Peeta holds his knife up. Jacob's eyes look sorry but his face is nothing but pure regret. I see about four people walking up behind him, all wielding weapons. We're outnumbered.

"Hey bigheads!" Cato shouts, catching Peeta's attention. You see, Cato tried to get Peeta to join the Careers but Peeta refused. Cato threatened to kill me, but Peeta killed Clove, his partner, first. Peeta and Cato have been enemies since.

"What do you want? Want me to finish off District 2?" Peeta says boldly, obviously making Cato angry. Cato shouts and he runs toward Peeta. I shoot Cato in the leg and he trips. His head hits a rock and he passes out. The other tributes rush to him, trying to help him. I look at Peeta, who's walking away. "Where are you going?" I yell, but he keeps walking. I groan in frustration, walking over to Cato. I raise my foot, ready to finish him. Then I see Prim. She's telling me to think. So I think. I stomp on the ground. The tributes look up at me.

"Here's the deal. Temporary alliance for all of us, _including_ Peeta. I help Cato stay alive and you all promise you won't kill without consent from _everyone_. Understand?" It was a deal, but I bet it sounded like a command. They all nod in sync and I nod. I bend down, holding Cato's head. He groans, a sign he's alive. I get a tall pile of leaves and I rest his head on it. The District 11 girl clears her throat. I turn to her and she gives me some medical supplies. "Sponsored." She says and I nod, turning back to Cato. I wrap his head in a bandage which helps get some of the bleeding. I apply some ointment so he doesn't get infected and I give him painkillers.

Cato opens his eyes finally, smiling at me. "It's night. Why are we outside?" He's right. I drag him to their cave that's nearby because our shelter was a tent that just was blown down. I learn all their names—Marley, Ayden and Angelica. I remember seeing Ayden and Angelica when I killed Angelica's partner. She throws me a couple of glares, but I'm focused on healing Cato right now.

Jacob sits next to me, staring at the ground. "I love you, you know." I look at him, confused. "What?" He looks up, smiling. "Not love love. I mean—I've known you forever." Jacob sighs, getting up and walking up. I can tell he's having trouble saying the right words. I hear Cato chuckle and I slap him. He winces, rubbing his cheek. "Don't forget who's in control of your survival right now." I whisper in his ear menacingly and he doesn't say another word.

The sun has set and I still don't know where Peeta is. I don't know why I'm taking care of a Career and I don't know why I'm not murdering everyone in this cave. Cato goes to sleep and so does Jacob. Marley volunteers—No, she demands that she takes watch the whole night. We all agree and I find myself drifting into a troubled sleep. I can't help but think that Peeta is dead. I mean, it's the Hunger Games. What do you expect?

I wake up and Marley is feeding the fire. I grunt to let her know I'm awake and she nods. Today would be the start of the 2nd day since the Bloodbath. And I'm still alive. Angelica starts to wake up and Ayden is already eating his share of the food. Marley turns around. "We need to hunt for other tributes. Our alliance is made up of five people." She announces.

"Six." Jacob says before I can. "Don't forget Peeta." Marley glares at him, annoyed. "Peeta ran off so I don't think he would be considered an ally."

Jacob holds up a hunting knife and starts sharpening it on a rock. Marley glances at it then makes a noise between a growl and wince. "Fine!" She says and I think that means Peeta's still in our alliance. If he's still alive.

We all learn that Angelica is a master chef because she starts to cook some leftover fish and uses spices to make it taste amazing. She has some iodine pills and drops them in a huge bottle of salty water. Angelica sips a tiny bit of it, hoping the iodine worked. She passes it to Ayden who takes two big gulps of water. Marley declines it so I take a few sips of the water.

"As far as I know, only three people have died. We need to start killing…as a group." Marley says and we all agree. Angelica promises to keep watch and to take care of Cato, so Ayden, Marley and I go outside to kill someone.


	6. Chapter 5

_Chapter 5: Cali Lies_

I squirt some nightlock berry juice onto the tip of my arrow, making sure to wash my hands thoroughly. Marley is holding her spear, waiting for someone to pass the tree we're on top of. Ayden is keeping watch on the other side and I'm poisoning my arrows. I sit down, tying my hair in a ponytail.

"My grandpa used to tell me a story when we went hunting. It's called Cali Lies." Ayden says, breaking the silence. I look at him, gesturing for him to continue. He nods.

"A girl named California was really pretty and many people wanted to be her partner. Sadly, she was reaped and sent into the Hunger Games. She survived the Bloodbath and the arena events. But in the Hunger Games, no one wanted to be her partner. It was final two and California made it because she hid in a cave with many supplies from her many anonyomous sponsors."

"Trust me, California said to the other boy. If you let me live, I will work for your parents and give them all my earnings. The boy trusted her and died. California won and never worked for his parents. She never even gave them money."

"Boring." Marley says and I think the same, but I keep my mouth closed. Ayden shakes his head. "Sorry. It's stupid." He lowers his head and I realize his grandfather is probably dead. I want to console him but Marley throws her spear. We both look at the ground and I see a boy on the ground. His face is unidentifiable, but his features look the same. _Peeta._

I turn to Marley, but she doesn't seem sorry. I hear bushes rustle and many tributes jump out. Ten of us are here…no fifteen. Too many people in one spot. What happened next…well, a lot of things.

One, I pushed Marley off the top of the tree.

Two, I realized the boy wasn't Peeta.

Three, Marley fell on the ground and a girl stabbed her in her throat.

Four, a huge fight broke out.

Five, the second arena event started and poisonous gas started to erupt from plants.

Ayden throws up as soon as the gas reachs us. I grab his arm tightly and we fall down. I catch a branch which delays the impact, but the fall pushes all the air out my chest. I wheeze for a while and I remember about the gas. I jump out, pulling Ayden. I lift him onto my back as he throws up again and it gets all over me. But I don't care. I look back at Marley and she stares at me with a blank expression. Her mouth moves but then her chest stops going up and down. I turn around, tears forming in my eyes, and I run.

I don't know where I'm going. The gas has reached the cave and is leaking in. I promise myself I'll go back for Angelica and Cato. I keep running until I see that the gas has stopped at a certain point. I sit Ayden down on the grass and I give him an arrow to stab anyone who comes close or to put him out of his misery. I hear a scream and I run back to the cave.

I see Cato on the ground sleeping and Angelica is next to him…not sleeping. I rush to her side, trying to pick her up. She coughs then pushes me away with all the strength she has right now. Tears pour out my eyes and I pick up Cato. I look at Angelica and she smiles weakly. I close her eyes and I turn around. I see a red dot not too far away and I look straight at it. I press my three middle fingers together and I press them to my lips, a sign my grandmother taught me. I bring them towards the red dot and I run back to Aiden quickly.

He stands up and says he's fine. I hold Cato and lead our tiny group to a new area. I clear the leaves and I set up a medium sized tent. I sit Cato inside, laying on the ground. Ayden crawls inside and I'm the last to go inside. It's almost night again and I don't know where Peeta is. I make sure Cato isn't poisoned before I go to sleep.

I open my eyes and I'm in Peeta's arms. He brushes my hair out of my forehead with his arm, smiling. I cough, testing to see if its real. "He saw the tent and regonized the design." Ayden mumbles. Peeta nods, looking around.

He tells us about where he was. After he left the cave, the Careers captured him and held him to have later. Peeta escaped when they left to go find us and he's been searching all night. "I heard 12 cannon shots!" He exclaims and I'm not that surprised. "Marley died, Jacob died, Angelica died, Jason died…"

"Jacob died?" I ask and he shakes his head. "Oh sorry! I mean District 6 Jacob! Sorry." I nod, counting who's left.

"Final seven. Us four are in an alliance, five when we find Jacob. So that's two people we can kill, then it'll be final five." I say.

"Then four of us will die." Cato says and I scoot over to where he's sitting. I pretend to not see the knife that's barely visible in his hand. "Cato, we have to survive as long as possible." He lifts the knife and thrusts it forward. I grab his hand and he's pushing down hard, but I use my other hand to punch his chest. He wheezes, dropping the knife, and I give it to Ayden.

Cato throws up on the last of our food, obviously making it all unedible. Ayden groans and Peeta sighs. I grab Peeta's arm, dragging him outside the tent while Ayden cleans up Cato. I look him in the eye and he doesn't look away. Suddenly, he kisses me. I pull away quickly and he looks at me. I can't help but kiss him one more time. He knows what I'm about to do.

He ducks back in the tent, groaning at the new mess Cato just made. I place all my poison-tipped arrows in my quiver and I strap it around my shoulder. I grab my bow and Ayden calls my name. I turn around. "What?"

He smiles. "Good luck." I nod, walking away quickly. My adventure begins when I trip over a wire, setting off a quick trap that cages me with a thick net. I fall to the ground and I gasp for air. Two people walk out from a tree with knives, a girl and boy. The girl says something and the boy mumbles. They argue for a bit until the boy stabs the girl in the chest. I gasp at the cruelty and the boy comes for me. He stabs my left arm and I scream. He raises his knife and turns around. I can't see who it is, but I hope it's my savior.

"Step away or I'll blow this place up." _Jacob. Wait, he had explosives?_

The boy grins and raises the bloody knife. I can hear a small cough but I know Jacob is still here. I hear steps walking towards us and I scream. I see Jacob's body on the ground, but he's not dead. He grabs an arrow that fell out my quiver and stabs the boy in the leg. The boy moans before falling on the ground.

Jacob coughs up droplets of blood and I try to push the net off of me. "Help!" I scream and I hear footsteps running towards us. Peeta lifts the net off, grabbing me. He looks at Jacob, then shields my eyes. His condition must be bad, but he's still breathing. I fall out Peeta's arms and he cries out. Cato is holding a knife to Peeta's throat and Ayden is on the ground behind him.

_This is it. A moment that will pass by as quick as the first. The last moment you will ever experience, because death will take hold of everything. Death is always greater than love. Unless…_

Unless.

I grab the nightlock berries in my pocket, I scoot over to Jacob and I give him one. I shake my head, standing up silently. I grab my bow and arrow and I turn to Cato. I release the arrow and it hits his neck. Cato falls to the ground, setting off an explosive that Jacob dropped. My ear booms as we all are through back into a clearing. The last thing I see is a dense fog from the thing that killed us all.


	7. Chapter 6

_Chapter 6: Illusions Aren't Lies_

Death feels like a memory. Of course, I wouldn't know. I'm still alive.

I open my eyes, groaning from the booming sound in my head. I turn to see Peeta trying to self-treat his horrible injuries and to my right is Jacob, who looks just about dead. He has his nightlock berry to his mouth and Peeta took one of mine. I take a berry too before I realize what I'm about to do.

_Every year, 24 random people will fight to the death. One will die. Every year, 23 people die. Every year, 23 people who truly care about them are lost. Every year, Capitol ruins our lives. I'm tired of this._

_I truly am._

I focus on the red dot as I start to speak. "You forced us against each other. Trapped in an arena, forced to fight for survival. What about our families? Twenty-three families will lose their children! Do you understand Snow? I care about these two people! I would _die_ for both of them. And that's what you want me to do? Well, we will all do it together Snow. We'll all die together."

Silence. The animals are quiet, the trees aren't moving, and silence is the only thing in the arena. Suddenly, a loud horn sounds all through the arena. I look up and a large claw reaches down. That's the last thing I see.

I gasp as I feel smelling salts tingle through my nose. I turn around and realize I'm tied to a chair. I try tipping myself over, but someone holds the chair. "Oh Katniss Everdeen, she was never mean. She knew how to use a simple bow and started a rebellion against President Snow!" A hoarse voice sings.

President Snow stands in front of me, wiping a red spot off his fat lips. He smiles. "Hello! How are you, Ms. Rebel?" Snow holds my face in his dry hands.

"Well, your friends are living with there families. You can go, but don't _ever_ do anything foolish again. Today, I killed three people. That Head Gamemaster who allowed you three to live. But personally, I would kill you all! No mercy. Merciless Snow, they call me. Well, I shall change many minds today. I shall change the citizens' minds by letting you and your friends live. I shall change your mind by telling you that I'll murder your whole family if you act a fool again." Snow finishes his monlouge, then coughs up blood. He wheezes for air, just like I did in the arena.

Doctors rush in with Peacekeepeers and guess which groups takes me away.

Luckily, they bring me to Prim and my mother. My mother grabs my face in her soft hands and hugs me tightly. Prim rests her head on me, sobbing a bit. "I was so worried about you." She whispers and I nod.

Apparently the Peacekeepers are still there and they pull me away from my family. "Where are you taking me?" I scream and people start to exit their houses. The Peacekeeper holding me turns me around and I face Effie Trinket, who's smiling with pure evil. "It's time to send you back into the arena!"

I'm sitting in the tent, waking up slowly. I can see Ayden starting a small fire and Cato is on the ground, blood covering the bandaid wrap. I check his pulse, which is weak but steady, before I try to remember what happened. _A fog. The poisonous fog created a poisonous dream. _I groan and throw up. Ayden sighs and I lay down. Ayden looks at me.

"You know, Peeta stopped by last night." I raise my head, trembling. Ayden waits for my approval of continuing, but I can't do anything, so he continues as I lay on the ground. "I was asleep, but he made a noise. I think it was a cough or a wince, but he laid next to you. I think he really cares about you."

I groan and Ayden crawls over to me. He holds his hand to my head and shakes his head. "Fever." He mumbles, grabbing a large black pot. _Must be a sponsor's gift_, I conclude as he pours some water in the pot from the leftover water bottles. He pours some chicken broth in there and sprinkles a handful of various spices. He uses a spoon to stir the soup and I try to smell it. But my nose isn't working and I can't smell a thing.

Ayden pours the soup into the big bottle and opens the top. He uses the spoon to feed me and I sip a little every minute. Evetually, I finish ten spoons and I throw up again. Ayden nods and says it's working. I glare at him. "_What's_ working?"

"So, there's this Capitol medicine type of thing they use at parties. When someone eats a lot and they want more, but have no room in their stomach…"

I put two and two together and sigh. "It makes them throw up." Ayden nods, trying to feed me another spoon. I shake my head and I tell him I'm fine. He gives me a pill to take and I swallow it quickly. We both look at Cato, who's staring at the opening of the tent.

"Can you just kill me?" Cato says, but we both decline the offer. I can't even imagine sticking a knife into someone. The thought horrifies me. That's why I'm better with range. So I can turn away before the person dies.

"I'll kill you." Jacob says, entering the tent. Cato nods, gesturing towards a dagger. I've never seen one like it, with a symbol engrave on both sides of the smooth silver. Jacob grabs the dagger, but I grab him. "Jacob, stop." Ayden holds up his hands, "Dude, where have you been?" _He's right. I thought…Oh my god, I forgot about him when we went to the tree!_ He brushes me off, accidently cutting my hand in the process. Cato shakes his head, obviously changing his mind. Jacob thrusts his arm down, ready to kill, but I already have the poisonous arrow. And I just stuck it in his neck. Jacob falls to the ground and everyone is silent.

I hate silence.


	8. Chapter 7

_Chapter 7: Curosity Killed the Katniss_

**2 Hours Before**

I wake up in the forest and I'm not the only body laying on the ground. I stand up quickly and I see Peeta on the ground. No, that's someone else. I look to my right and I inhale quickly. Marley is on the ground, staring at me with blank eyes. I try to find life in them, but I obviously fail. I shake my head and I pause to think. _Why didn't I die from the fog? Wait, how did I even get here? What happened?_ I realize I can't remember anything since I was kidnapped.

In the cave, after Marley said we should all go hunt tributes, someone held a knife to my throat. I think they ended up taking me hostage and…did some other stuff. I can't remember. My stomach growls at me and I try to remember the last time I ate. But I don't remember that, so I walk to a river. I see a medium sized fish so I grab it with my bare hands. I throw it on the ground to let it die and I start drinking from the river. I wipe my mouth and I freeze. _The Cornucopia!_

I grab the fish and I run as fast as I can. I see the Cornucopia is full with food, water, medical supplies and many mores things. I grab a sword and point it at the sky. "Thank you!" I whisper and I put the sword down. I grab an apple that looks red and fresh. I take a deep bite into it and the juice flows into my dry mouth. I throw it on the ground and I take a big slab of cooked beef. _Heaven._ I bite into it, burning my tounge. _How is it hot?_ I think. I raise my eyes to look at someone running towards me with a dagger.

I growl, not ready to share anything. I grab the sword with one hand and I throw it at the girl. She tries to duck, but it hits her head. She falls on the ground and I smile. I stuff the whole thing into my mouth, chewing slowly. I gulp it down and I realize there's smoke coming up from an area in the arena.

And where there's smoke, there's fire.


	9. Chapter 8

_Chapter 8: Truth Hurts_

I just killed a boy. That's the truth.

Ayden tries to pretend like nothing happens, but Cato talks endlessly. "Katniss, I appreciate that." "Thanks so much." "You're a killing queen. You should become a Career." But I know the true message he wants to put out: _You're a real threat._

It's obvious, but I ignore it. I'm carrying the soup bottle and my quiver. My bow is with Ayden and Cato has nothing. We're relocating, since it's final 6 now. I try to find a flat area and I succeed. A flat grassland spot is open, so we set up there. With more materials, Cato manages to build a small hut. We all get inside and I move the piece of wood in front of the hut to act as our door. So no one can get in. But someone could get out.

I give the Capitol medicine to Cato and he drinks all of it quickly. He throws up and looks at me. "Did you just try to _poison_ me?"

"Keep talking like that and you're next." He shuts up quickly and I shut myself up too. What am I saying? I don't feel like Katniss. Maybe that's because of my fever, but the only thing that does is cause me to lay down. Ayden stirs a new batch of soup, then announces his return to the Cornucopia. Cato and I don't care, so we shut up. Ayden shrugs, moves the wood, then writes his death wish.

I hear the knock on the wood, that's back to acting as our door, around thirty minutes later. Cato was laying on the ground, humming a tune, and I was eating some of the soup. But now we're both alert and panicked, not prepared for who's behind that door. The person knocks again and I put my ear to the door. Cato tries to pull me back, but I hold up my finger.

I can hear loose whispering, but I can make out most of the words. "I think it's abandoned." A soft, calming voice says. I hear a loud shush. "I heard talking." A rough voice states and I hear silence for a while. The leaves rustle like they're running away, so I look at Cato. He lit a fire and is pouring the leftover soup in a pot to make it hot.

Cato looks at me, smiling. I can tell he's scared about what happen, but he continues to stir the soup. I lay down, trying to rid the thought of the two kids who just knocked on our door, but the smell of the delicious soup makes me get a sip. I sigh, trying to imagine what my family is doing right now, while Cato pours a lot in a wooden bowl.

He puts drops of a purple liquid in it and I glare at him. He chuckles, like it's funny or something. "It's not poision, it's a gift from my…mentor." He turns away, probably haunted by my expression. But I know something's wrong. So I ask the obvious question. "What's wrong?"

He shakes his head. "My mentor arrived late. Day before the Games began. He seemed to be in a rush, kept checking the clock. A bell rung, a loud familiar bell, and he walked out the door quickly. I had a question…tried to run after him. I-I snuck out the door…and saw…" Cato stutters for a while, then falls on the ground. I crawl over to him, in record time, and I elevate his head with my hand. "Cato?" His eyes are open, but he's not dead. He winces, then points to his bag.

He had a bag? Since when? I grab the bag and I groan. There's a purple bottle, similar to the one he gave to me. Except this one has a label. "Level Three Poison—Kills almost immediately!" I look at Cato, not with anger but realization. "Ayden made you do this." Cato moans and grabs his leg, but can still manage to nod.

"He made me promise that when he left, I would kill both of us." Cato says, then winces. I shake my head. "That means no sense! He's so…nice! And you would _murder_ him if he ever said that!" Cato chuckles, then closes his eyes. I slap him. "Open your eyes! Tell me the truth!"

"Fine, you want to know the truth Katniss? I agreed because I'm tired of Capitol. I am tired of everything they do! My dad was killed by a Peacekeeper for no reason Katniss! They _allowed_ you to kill Clove. I love her—I _loved_ her! Do you get it? I wanted to do it because I don't care! I don't care!" He yells and tears run down his red face. I start to cry too and soon—I'm the only one. I look away and close his eyes. I kick down the wood and I crawl out the hut. I drag Cato's body outside and I start to dig.

Who am I? Katniss Everdeen. I love my sister. I love my mother, but I don't need help. I don't need anyone, but myself.

Who am I? Katniss Everdeen. Hunger Games tribute. I love my district. I love my family. I love Jacob and I love Peeta. I care about a lot of people, because love is equal to care. If you don't care, then…then why love?

Who do I care about, but not love? Gale. Gale is my best friend and we have absolutely no feelings for each other. Except the time he kissed me, but we're friends. Cinna. He made me the Mockingjay I am. I love…Me and Peeta…Me and Jacob…Me and…

Who am I?

Katniss Everdeen.

I get the job done.

The Mockingjay gets the job done.

I finish the narrow grave and I lay Cato down. I grab an aloe vera plant that lays on the ground and I manage to recover some of the amazing medicine. I sprinkle spices on the little I have and I rub Cato's forehead with it. I hold the match in my hand and I take a breath. As I light a match, I can hear two cannon shots. _Jacob._ _Cato._

I throw the match on the hut and it immediately erupts in flames. I scream because I'm not prepared when two hands push me into the burning hut.


	10. Chapter 9

_Chapter 9: In Which the Mockingjay Lies_

My clothes have not caught on fire. My skin is not severely burned, though my arm does have a sharp pain every once in a while. Apparently, those two hands belonged to the male tribute. He was actually trying to push me off the explosive I stepped on. So now I'm sitting in a lake, trying to refresh myself. I see the girl and she waves slightly at me.

"So…why were you outside our hut?" I ask and the boy nods. "We knew Ayden's plan. We were going to kill him, but Jessica—" He gestures toward the small girl, "Wanted to help you. We were too late." I nod and the girl frowns.

"Ayden's still alive. Do you have questions about his plan?" The boy looks at Jessica.

"Why would she want to know what someone is planning to do? So she can expect it, but have no way to stop it?" He says and Jessica looks at the ground. "Sorry Tommy."

I want to speak up for her, but Tommy touches my arm. He actually grabs it, looking into my eyes sincerely. "Why don't we…run away? Final two, hm? We'll keep surviving everything until Capitol lets us _both_ out the arena. Then…" He winks and I'm frozen from terror. I want to punch him or _something._

"Um…" I manage to say, but he kisses me quickly. I see Jessica is turned away, trying to start a fire. I punch him in the eye and he yelps. I hear a thunk and Tommy falls to the ground. I look up at Peeta, glaring at me. I'm speechless. I haven't seen him since he ran from the group. I think about how half of that alliance is now dead.

"Creep." He says, then turns to Jessica. "Jess, what's our status on Ayden?" She shrugs, gesturing to Tommy as to say _It was his job_. He nods and I walk up to him. His face has a fresh cut, shallow but long. He locks eyes with me and we both stare at each other for a long time. He gives me a quick kiss and walks back to Jessica. He sits down, discussing Ayden's plan.

I try to think about numbers again. 4 left. Ayden, Jessica, Peeta, and me. Three versus one, counting the alliance. Ayden's the main target, so if we kill him, that's final three. I don't know what'll happen after that. I can't think of murdering Jessica, because…because she looks like Prim.

Jessica squeals happily when the fire starts and I rush over. I stomp it out and Jessica looks at me. "But…why?" I shake my head. Peeta laughs and I glare at him. "Smoke means fire." We both say and Jessica's still confused.

I decide to explain it in a District 7 way. "Smoke means fire is an old miner saying. If someone sees smoke, they're going to investigate and…"

"If Ayden investigates, he'll…" Jessica starts.

"Kill us all." Peeta says and points in front of us. Green smoke rises from a certain part of the arena, far away from us. "Looks like he hasn't learned his lesson." Peeta stands up. "Come on."

"Let's go finish the job." Jessica says and we all head to Ayden.

He's crying. He's begging for mercy, but we're all armed with no one else to kill. He tries running into the poisonous fog, trying to lead us into our death. But we're smart. We hold our ground until he runs back to us, coughing up dark blood. Peeta stabs Ayden in the back with his dagger and causes him to crumple to the ground.

Jessica kicks him, but I push her out the way. She falls on the ground, but it's okay when she realizes I'm going to brutally kill him. I hold my last poisonous arrow to his throat, right in front of it, and he looks at me with gleaming regret.

"Why?"

This is all I have to say to get a reply, but it's mostly just crying and parts of sentences. Finally, he speaks real words. "I-I loved Angelica. She loved me, she _told_ me. You just…You left her to die!" He stares me, his face is a mixture of emotions. I just hold my arrow to his neck and he says something else.

"I killed Cato." He says and I close my eyes. "He's alive." I say and I stab him quickly. I withdraw my arrow and I stab him again. I don't remove it, I just watch as Ayden dies. Jessica walks up to me, holding my arm. She's pulling me to Peeta, who hugs me tightly. I start to cry, thinking about all the people I've killed or I let die.

_Marley. Angelica. Cato. Ayden. _I'm a murderer. No, I'm being forced. To do what? Kill? Yes...

My brain is so mixed up, I don't even remember Peeta and Jessica taking me to the lake. Jessica washes her face with the pure fresh water and I just sit on a rock. Peeta roasts a fish in the fire, hopefully making everyone some dinner. Night approaches fast and we're all eating fish in silence.

"Now what?" Jessica says and I don't want to be the one to answer that. I _can't_ answer that. Neither can Peeta. Yeah, we both know the answer. But it's too painful. Also, because the third arena event has started. I can hear various animal noises—Growls, hoots, howls, and sniffing.

A bear _jumps_ out the bushes. Its skin isn't fur, more like polished steel. The eyes are small rubies, the snout is iron. The bear opens its mouth, roaring, and shows off its sharp shark teeth. I know this is probably a Capitol invention—Half human, half bear, all nightmare—but it's still the most horrifying thing I've ever seen.

Peeta grabs a sword, twirls it around, and slices off the bear's head. He looks at us. "Twirling confuses these things." Jessica nods, but I'm too focused on something. "That was one bear…for an arena event?" I think out loud, as fifty bears crawl from the bushes.

Jessica twirls her sword around, accidently cutting Peeta, and thrusts it at the bears. It hits one, but all it does is make the monster angry. I rush to Peeta who's screaming in pain and I put him on my back. I grab Jessica's arm and I accidently touch where she cut herself. She yelps and falls back. I try to pick her up, but a bear bites her.

I scream and Jessica looks at me, scared. Blood is leaking out her leg and the bears seem to smell the blood. They turn to Jessica and one steps on her. The motion she makes is too terrifying. She's crying and I just stand there, helpless. She looks at me and smiles faintly. I nod, turn around, and run away. I can still hear Jessica's scream.

_And I can add her to my list._


	11. Chapter 10

_Chapter 10: True Lies, False Truths_

My heart is pounding as I try to heal Peeta as best as I can. His cut is deep, but the bears stopped following us, so I have time. I remember I don't have medical supplies, so I pour the last water bottle on the wound. Peeta winces, as the blood washes away. I grab a leaf and I hold it to his wound. He puts his hand on top of mine and I look into his painful eyes.

_He's going to die._ My brain concludes. _Oh really?_ I think, trying to shut it up. _TELL HIM YOU LOVE HIM! _It says and I ignore whatever else it wants to tell me. Instead, I try to find another leaf. I grab one, but something drops out of it. Two blueberries. _He could be hungry. _My brain says and I don't disagree.

I give Peeta one and I take one. Peeta shakes his head. "These…nightlock…" He mumbles, still holding it to his mouth. I put my down, but then I go into my, seemingly daily, daydream.

_Nightlock berries are poisonous. Poison kills. Final two and we both have nightlock. If we both die…_

"No one will win." I realize as I connect my dream and reality together. I look at Peeta. "No one will win." I say and he shakes his head. "I have…family…" He says and I pick my nightlock berry up. I point to the red dot, trying to send a silent message. _Just for the cameras…follow my lead…_

I lay on Peeta's chest, hugging him slightly. "I love you Peeta. I've loved you forever." I tell him quietly, but I know Capitol can hear every word. I try to imagine Haymitch right now, watching us confused. Peeta takes a while to respond. "I love you Katniss. You've changed my life, for the better obviously. I don't want to let you go."

I pretend to give him the nightlock berry and I pretend to give myself one. But in reality, we already have them. We both hold the berry to our lips and I hear a loud horn. It lasts many fives minutes, until I feel a sharp prick in my arm. Then, my vision goes dark.

I'm laying in a hospital bed and Prim is staring at me. I rub my eyes, trying to rid the sleepiness. I look around and my mother is sleeping in a chair. Prim wakes her up and my mother gets up quickly. She hugs me tightly, whispering in my ear. "The doctors did nothing…I would have healed you…Oh Katniss…" Prim stands next to me, trying to feed me soup. I try to push it away, away the throw up medicine, but she manages to get two full spoons in my mouth.

I groan when a short headache passes through me and I call a nurse. She comes, dressed in a sparkly Capitol outfit. It's not a nurse, it's—

"Effie Trinket?" I mumble, and she's the last person I want to see. She nods, tapping my monitor with her manicured nails. I hope she's hear to give me answers, or I'll kill her. _Oh my goodness Katniss, have you not learned NOT to say that? _My brain complains and I roll my eyes.

Effie smiles sweetly and sighs. "Oh Katniss, look what you have done. Peeta is living, healthy, in this hospital. You are harder to heal, you must have inhaled a _lot_ of poisonous fog. Yes, but you can be released tomorrow! President Snow is very angered and he tries not to show it, but he killed the Head Gamemaster. Because of you Katniss."

Effie has just answered all my questions in one of her long sentences and she walks out my room, her heels matching the sound of a clock. _Because of you Katniss_. My brain notes and I sigh. My mother is apply her own ointment to a wound I didn't even know I had and Prim is reading a book about nursing when Peeta walks in. A Peacekeepers waiting outside my door, waiting for something to happen, but Peeta just stares at me.

I smile and he laughs. My mother turns to look outside the window and Prim digs her face into the book. Peeta kisses me, interrupted by Haymitch walking in shouting. He pushes Peeta out the way and points his finger in my face. "_You." _He says, then gives me a hug. He turns around and slaps Peeta, who's probably tramutized.

Haymitch turns back around then smiles. "It's not the Hunger Games where two people win, _Mockingjay_. It's the Hunger Games! You should have _killed_ until you were the _only one left!" _I can hear Peeta sigh, but Haymitch hears it too. He turns around and walks up to Peeta.

"I know you're more mature, but gosh! Who holds nightlock in their hand, waiting to _die_? I must be really old if this is the way the Games go!"

"Oh, you _are_ old." I say and Haymitch snorts. Everyone in the room stars to laugh and the tension is cleared for the moment. Haymitch hugs both of us. "I'm glad you guys are alive, but Snow won't let this go. He wants a war, I heard."

"Then we'll give him one." I say and that seems to satisfy everyone.


End file.
